Killing Florida’s soil and water conservation districts is a terrible idea
Could Florida — the state most impacted by climate change — be the first in history to abolish its local soil and water conservation districts? Inexplicably, yes. A bill (SB 1078/HB 783) was filed in the Florida Legislature last month to eradicate Florida’s 58 soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs). There are nearly 3,000 SWCDs across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and every U.S. territory.
If this bill were to pass, Florida would be the first and only state without SWCDs since their inception over 80 years ago, and that would have catastrophic consequences. There’s no upside. Proponents say the state would simply inherit all the funds directed to SWCDs, losing nothing. But that’s pure misinformation. Much of the funding for SWCDs comes from the state, but funding from local governments and grants would not simply be kicked up to Tallahassee. Instead, growers and Florida residents would lose out on millions in cost savings, water conservation and invaluable local education programs.
In most Florida counties, SWCDs serve as a conduit for cost-share projects and education programs. Through partnership with their local counties, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SWCDs offer free services to growers, landowners, residents and students. For example, over the past three fiscal years, the Palm Beach SWCD provided over $615,000 in free agricultural services to growers and coordinated over $206,000 in free environmental educational programs for elementary, middle school and high school students. Through this district’s water conservation programs, 473.6 million gallons of water were conserved and a savings of over 1.9 billion gallons is estimated over the next five years.
So why on earth would any lawmaker want to eliminate soil and water conservation districts from Florida? To put it simply, politics. The background is murky, but there appears to be a political vendetta between Senate Bill 1078’s sponsor and a St. John’s SWCD supervisor. And it’s a poorly kept secret around Tallahassee that the companion House Bill 783 sponsor has filed this bill as a favor to conservative provocateur and state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a pariah even to his fellow Republicans in the House; Sabatini threatened a similar bill himself in 2020.
Partisan antics aside, it’s time for the grownups to step in.
The work of all 290 SWCD supervisors in Florida increases enrollments in agricultural water conservation efforts that enhance all Floridians’ quality of life, not just growers. As chair of the Palm Beach SWCD, I’ve seen firsthand how vital these districts are. We have a positive impact on our community and I will fight to prevent our board from being disbanded by the Legislature.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt — who established the Standard State Conservation Districts Act following the Dust Bowl — is likely rolling in his grave at the thought of Florida being robbed of this resource. Florida residents should know what they stand to lose if our Legislature rips away one of our few tools to battle climate change. Well contamination from saltwater intrusion is a very real occurrence that’s only increasing with sea-level rise. Coupled with nearly 1,000 people moving to Florida per day, we’re headed toward an inevitable water-scarcity crisis. Our state is the front line of climatic disruption. Capriciously destroying a network of institutions that conserve billions of gallons of water for Floridians every year is just plain dangerous.